Delta CE Ed Bastian said Tuesday the company plans to use technology to shift employees away from rote tasks and improve the flying experience for passengers. Delta took centre stage at Tuesday’s opening event at the annual four-day CES technology conference - a spot typically held by an automaker or traditional technology companies. Bastian offered a litany of technology improvements aimed at improving the sometimes unpleasant experience of flying. He said Delta has invested billions in technology upgrades over the last five years, including real-time bag tracking. “Our people should not be spending their time taking tickets and scanning boarding passes. They’re way too talented for that,” Bastian said. He said the airline’s goal is to get “Delta people from out behind the counter so they can assist you, solve your problems in real time.” Delta is working with start-up companies, including one company to keep airplane cabins clean that uses antimicrobial lights and another start-up to help transport and monitor pets. The airline said it will launch “virtual queuing” later this month with its app “to notify customers when their seat – not just their flight – is boarding,” aimed at preventing lengthy lines. Delta said it is using artificial intelligence and machine learning to try to reduce delays. Its AI-platform “analyzes millions of operational data points - from aircraft positions to flight crew restrictions to airport conditions - to create hypothetical outcomes.”<br/>
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Alitalia is burning through its cash resources at the pace of around E300m a year, its new temporary administrator Giuseppe Leogrande told members of a parliamentary committee. In November, after months of talks, railway group Ferrovie dello Stato, US carrier Delta and infrastructure group Atlantia backtracked on a plan to rescue the carrier. That left the government to choose between liquidating the company, or injecting more taxpayers’ money to keep it flying. Alitalia is due to receive a further E400m from the government, in addition to the E900m the state has injected since May 2017. Leogrande said on Tuesday he was still working on an industrial plan for the loss-making airline. That triggered a harsh reaction from some members of the parliament’s transport committee, who noted that he needed to find a group of rescuers for the carrier by the end of May. The new manager said he would re-start talks with Delta and was also prepared to talk with Lufthansa.<br/>